BYU senior selected as one of 50 players to watch
PROVO, Utah – The Walter Camp Football Foundation has announced the names of 50 “players to watch,” including BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy, for its 2013 Player of the Year award, the nation’s fourth-oldest individual college football accolade.
In addition to the Walter Camp recognition, Van Noy has also been named to watch lists for the Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Award, Butkus Award, Lombardi Award and Lott Trophy as one of the nation’s top players entering the 2013 season. Coming off an All-America season in 2012, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound outside linebacker finished tied for second nationally with 13 sacks and six forced fumbles and ranked No. 4 in the nation with 22 tackles for loss. From Reno, Nev., he is the only FBS player in each of the past two seasons to record a stat in every major defensive category and has helped BYU achieve bowl wins each of his three seasons in Provo.
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, a finalist for the 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year award, headlines the 2013 watch list. Manziel, a first-team Walter Camp All-American a year ago, accounted for more than 5,000 yards of total offense and 47 touchdowns for the Aggies.
Twelve players on the 2013 watch list, including Arizona junior running back Ka’Deem Carey (1,929 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2012) and USC wide receiver Marqise Lee (118 receptions for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2012), have previously earned Walter Camp All-America honors.
In all, 37 schools are represented on the list with defending national champion Alabama having four players.
The 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient was former Notre Dame and current San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te’o.
“We are proud to continue the great work of Walter Camp and recognize the best college football players in the nation,” Foundation president James Monico said. “This watch list is a great start to what is shaping up to be another exciting year of college football.”
The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists in mid-November. The 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 125 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 12. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on January 11, 2014 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.
Appearing on the Watch List is not a requirement for a player to win the Walter Camp award or be named to the All-American team.
Walter Camp, “The Father of American football,” first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp – a former Yale University athlete and football coach – is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation (www.waltercamp.org) – a New Haven-based all-volunteer group – was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All-America team.
2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year “Watch List”
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska
Antonio Andrews, RB, Western Kentucky
Dri Archer, RB, Kent State
Tajh Boyd, QB, Clemson
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
Kolton Browning, QB, Louisiana Monroe
Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
Ka’Deem Carey, RB, Arizona *
Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
Rakeem Cato, QB, Marshall
Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina *
Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
David Fluellen, RB, Toledo
Phillip Gaines, DB, Rice
Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
John Hubert, RB, Kansas State
Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
Duke Johnson, RB, Miami Fla. #
Chuckie Keeton, QB, Utah State
Marqise Lee, WR, USC *
Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan *
Jordan Lynch, QB, Northern Illinois
Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M *
Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M #
Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
Venric Mark, RB, Northwestern
Taylor Martinez, QB, Nebraska
AJ McCarron, QB, Alabama
Braxton Miller, QB, Ohio State
C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama *
Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia
Louis Nix III, DE, Notre Dame
Casey Pachall, QB, TCU
Keith Price, QB, Washington
Silas Redd, RB, USC
Bradley Roby, DB, Ohio State #
Tyler Russell, QB, Mississippi State
Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington
Lache Seastrunk, RB, Baylor
Yawin Smallwood, LB, Connecticut
Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State #
Tyler Tettleton, QB, Ohio
De’Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon
Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech
Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame #
Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU
Jason Verrett, DB, TCU #
Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
T.J. Yeldon, RB, Alabama
* 2012 Walter Camp First Team All-American
# - 2012 Walter Camp Second Team All-American